Lost Heaven
by BridgitKiido
Summary: AU. Even with the Tenjoins almost fully removed from the picture, the wheel of destiny still turns, and it may even be for the worse... Please note that there is character death in this one. Discontinued, will undergo revision and be restarted soon.
1. 1

**Lost Heaven  
**by BridgitKiido

Disclaimer: I don't own GX.

Spoiler warning: This story will contain occasional references to flashbacks first mentioned in the fourth season. However, the majority of it takes place during the first and second seasons. There will be heavier spoilers for those (though, obviously, things will be quite different in parts).

_For Smokey. I miss you._

. 1 .

_Just for a moment I was back at school  
__and felt that old familiar pain,  
__and as I turned to make my way back home,  
__the snow turned into rain.  
_-Dan Fogelberg, "Same Old Lang Syne"

There is good, and there is evil. There is light, and there is darkness. Many people would like you to believe that the light is good, and that the darkness is evil. But to be frank, how can elements be good or evil? It's _how_ people use their abilities that determines their alignment, not what their abilities are.

Those whose chosen element is darkness fall along two paths – those who choose its power, and those who are chosen by its power. It is the ones that choose to embrace the shadows that have a choice in how they use it. Those who are chosen, however, are stripped of their free wills and, afterward, are given a choice of what to keep: their memories, or their lives. For pure, elemental darkness is tightly controlled by one master, and no one has ever argued that Darkness is fair.

Those who follow the light… well, we'll get to them later, now won't we.

This story follows the events caused by the decisions of a boy who, after being enslaved by the darkness entrusted to him by his friend, was forced to choose between his life and his memories, and who, clinging desperately to all that he had, chose to give up his own life rather than forget his sister.

…Of course, had he done things the _canon_ way, he would have been able to keep both eventually, but that's not exactly the point, now is it?

* * *

This was supposed to be a cause for celebration. 

…Okay, maybe not quite celebration, but at least slightly higher morale. After all, Judai had managed to defeat the first two of the Seven Stars, and Asuka's brother had returned relatively safe and sound from wherever he had disappeared to. That was supposed to be a good thing.

Except that relatively was a relative term, and instead of congratulating Judai on his victories, or determinedly analyzing the various plays he had made in his duel against Camulla, or even discussing what would happen now with two of the keys lost, everyone was gathered around Fubuki's hospital bed, and no one was smiling.

Asuka was clutching her brother's hand, while the latter was barely managing to keep his eyes open and focused on his sister. The rest of the key-holders, as well as Sho and Hayato, were standing around the bed, close enough to see what was going on while far enough away to give the siblings sufficient space, while Ayukawa was standing off to the side, monitoring the boy's failing vital statistics and at a loss for what to do. Even the life support his heart was on wasn't helping.

"A-Asuka," Fubuki spoke quietly, seemingly struggling just to gather enough energy to talk.

"Hush, save your strength. All that matters is that you're safe now, Brother," Asuka insisted, failing to keep back her tears. She, as well as everyone else, could tell something was wrong.

Fubuki smiled sweetly in response. "I'm glad I got to see you again, one more time, Asuka."

"What are you saying?" Asuka kept insisting to herself that everything would be all right. "You're going to be just fine. Everything will be fine, and we'll be a family again, just like before, before the day you disappeared."

Managing to shake his head ever so slightly, her brother's response was barely a whisper, so hushed that Asuka had to strain to hear it. "I don't have enough strength to hold on any longer." And, his eyes closing, he managed just one more phrase:

"Asuka… I'm… sorry…"

And with that, his hand, which he had been trying to grip Asuka's with as best he could, went limp. One final shudder passed through his body as his heart's pulse reading leveled off. Daitoukuji looked over at Ayukawa, who shook her head sadly.

"Brother?!" Asuka leaned closer to Fubuki, terrified and unwilling to accept what had happened. Just a moment later, she was screaming in his ear, "Brother! Brother, wake up! Brother!"

"It's no use, Asuka. I did everything I could, but," Ayukawa said sadly, placing her hand on Asuka's shoulder. The girl froze up, her face twisted in sadness, shock, fear, and even a slight bit of anger, as she heard the nurse conclude, "He's gone."

Everyone in the room was shocked by the announcement. The first and second years in the room who didn't know Fubuki at all simply stood there, a mix of shock and sadness on their faces. Chronos hid his face, while Ryo gritted his teeth, fighting back tears himself, and Judai and Daitoukuji stood there like twin deer in the headlights, trying to get their minds around what had happened. Even Pharaoh the cat had stopped purring to gaze sadly on the scene.

Tenjoin Fubuki, third most promising honors student that Duel Academy had ever seen, was dead.

* * *

The next few days, as far as Asuka was concerned, passed like a blur. The entire school was in mourning, though only a select few students knew the details as to why, since Samejima had been told to keep the death as quiet as he could by the school's financial sponsors. A private memorial was held later on during the week, and the entire extended Tenjoin family attended. 

Asuka would later wish she hadn't seen them ever again.

"We've decided to pull you out of the school," her father told her when they were alone.

Asuka tried to argue. "But Dad, you know it's always been my goal in life to be a professional duelist! I thought you sent Brother and me here so that we could live our dreams."

"I also wanted you both to be in a safe environment, and look what happened to Fubuki. Do you really think I'm going to allow you to continue in his footsteps when what he did killed him?"

"It was an accident, Dad!"

"I'm not going to take that chance. I am your father, and you _will_ do as I tell you without complaint. And my decision is that you are leaving Duel Academy."

"But Dad…"

"My decision is final."

Her father turned to leave the room, and Asuka turned away from him, refusing to shed the tears that were forming. "This isn't what Brother would have wanted."

Her father's only response was, "What Fubuki would or would not have wanted holds no bearing over this, Asuka." And he left his daughter alone to cry.

* * *

"S-So that's that," Asuka replied, still trying to hold a calm face even though her turmoil was obvious. "Dad says I'm leaving the school." 

"I'm sorry to hear that, Asuka," Chronos replied. "You have been a wonderful student, and I will miss having you in my classes, na no ne."

"Good luck in whatever you wind up doing next, nya," Daitoukuji added, though his tone was strangely quiet and distant. Something else was obviously on his mind, though what it could be wasn't apparent.

Asuka gave her teachers a sad smile before turning to one of her fellow first-year students. "Sho," she said, "I was impressed, during the pair duel when you and Judai faced the Labyrinth Brothers. I think you've got a lot of potential, and, if it's okay with you and Principal Samejima, I'd appreciate it if you could protect this key in my place."

It was the truth – his performance during that duel had been impressive. But it was only half of the truth. Though she said nothing about it, she was still grateful that Sho and Judai had come into the Abandoned Dormitory to rescue her from Titan that one time. She felt she could trust both of them, but Judai already had his key to burden him.

Samejima considered it. "Well, Sho has certainly shown significant improvement over the course of the year so far, so I don't see why not, if that's what you want." It was apparent that the principal was deeply shaken by Fubuki's death as well, but he had to keep up a strong façade.

Though deeply surprised by what she was asking, Sho accepted the key from Asuka, stating quietly, "I'll do my best."

* * *

She was allowed one final night on the island before she would leave with her family on a boat back to the mainland. Her first order of business was leaving one final rose in front of the entrance to the Abandoned Dormitory in her brother's memory, but then she spent the rest of the night by the lighthouse, staring at the sea. This time, however, the ocean gave her no comfort or direction, only loneliness and loss for what to do. It was hard to imagine that this would be the last time she would ever stand by this lighthouse again, even harder to accept that she would never achieve her dream, and harder still to cope with the idea that her brother was deceased. 

"Asuka."

Ryo's voice almost made Asuka jump slightly; she hadn't really been expecting him to show up, and she had come out here to be alone. However, now that he was here… "Yes, Ryo?"

"I just came to find you, to talk to you one more time before you leave," was his response, all emotion hidden as usual. "I'm sorry about what happened to Fubuki."

"It's not your fault," was Asuka's response as she lowered her eyes. "You didn't drag him into the Seven Stars."

They stood in silence for a little while longer, until Ryo finally replied, "So, what do you plan to do now?"

Asuka closed her eyes sadly. "I don't know. I really don't know…" She looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment, but was fighting to hold them back.

Ryo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Whatever you wind up doing, I'm sure Fubuki will be watching over you, and he'll be proud."

"Thanks, Ryo," she replied, and the two of them stood there in silence once more.

* * *

A single boat left the next morning from Duel Academy, bearing the entire Tenjoin family back to the mainland. Asuka stood at the rear of the boat, watching Duel Academy become smaller and smaller in the distance until she could no longer see it, and even still, she continued to look back. 

Her father came up to her briefly once, just once, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Everything will work out better this way, Asuka. There's more to life than cards, and I'm sure you'll find something that you like even better."

"Not likely," was her response as she pushed her father's hand away.

"Now, Asuka," he replied in what could almost be considered an accidentally condescending tone, "I know you might not understand this now, but what matters the most is your safety. I'm sure Fubuki would want –"

"And how do you claim to know what Brother would want for me?" Asuka interrupted. "He would want me to follow my own dreams, to be happy no matter what. He was always a free spirit like that. He wouldn't want me to be shut up in some hovel all day and never take risks." And before her father could respond, she got up and began to walk away toward the cabins, muttering under her breath, "You don't care at all, do you, Father."

* * *

_Author's Note: Because I was asked once to provide name translations… In the dub, where the names are significantly more pathetic, Asuka is known as Alexis, Fubuki as Atticus, Judai as Jaden, Manjoume as Chazz, Sho as Syrus, Samejima as Sheppard, Ayukawa as Ms. Fontaine, Ryo as Zane, Daitoukuji as Banner, and Chronos as Crowler. I will add to this list in later chapters… really, I think it's pointless to do, but so that you don't ask later…_

_Inspired by the Econtra roleplay on LiveJournal, for which I created this particular universe. And it all goes spinning out of control from here…_


	2. 2

**Lost Heaven  
**by BridgitKiido

Disclaimer: I don't own GX. Really, I'm content to just sit back, enjoy it, and then write fanfics for fun.

Spoiler warning: This story will contain references to flashbacks first mentioned in the fourth season. However, the majority of it takes place during the first and second seasons. There will be heavier spoilers for those (though, obviously, things will be quite different in parts).

. 2 .

_Too late, my time has come.  
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time.  
Goodbye, everybody - I've got to go,  
Got to leave you all behind and face the truth.  
_-Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody"

The forest on Duel Academy Island held many secrets. Most of the students were too focused on their studies or too interested in the nearby (and more accessible) beach nearby to bother exploring it fully. However, those who did take the time to wander through the forest might eventually stumble upon a clearing. It was a seemingly ordinary clearing, even to most of the people who discovered its existence. The only thing seemingly special about it was a large rock sitting in the middle of it, seemingly simply sitting there, waiting for something. That is, if rocks could wait.

There had been three people who had known the secret of that rock. That number had, of course, slowly dwindled until only one remained, but there had, at one point, been three. And it was in honor of the two that were no longer able to visit that the third decided to pay homage to this rock.

Honest was, truthfully, surprised to see him. He had gotten used to a quiet existence, keeping vigil over the area by night and day. No one usually passed through here, and most of the ones that did quickly left. For that one to come specifically to visit… this had to be an occasion unlike others.

And apparently it was, as the rock was removed from its resting place and the box that it protected dug up from beneath the ground. Though there was enough room for at least three, a single deck had been placed within two years before, which was why Honest was bound there – he couldn't leave the location where his card was buried. And now, a second deck joined it, and the angel immediately recognized the black dragon that slept within, even through the corruption that had weakened it.

_So… Master's friend as well…_

Honest continued to watch as the box was closed once again and replaced in the ground. He didn't bother to attempt to hide his presence – after all, neither of his Master's friends had been able to sense him before, and it would be no different now.

The other had hidden his eyes, visibly shaking as he replaced the rock on top to mark the spot where the decks were buried. "Yusuke… Fubuki…" His voice was wavering, though he did his best to hide it. He had buried himself in his dueling ever since the other two had disappeared, and he was no longer used to expressing emotions quite like this. "Both of you are gone now, because you lost sight of who you were." Placing his duel disk on his arm, he continued, "I swear, on my deck, that I won't fall down the same path. I won't lose myself."

And with that, his shout issued forth through the forest, startling a large number of nearby birds so that they flew away.

"Draw!"

* * *

"Resignation?"

Samejima could barely believe his eyes as Daitoukuji's letter rested on the desk. "Yes. I'm sorry, but for personal health reasons as detailed in the letter, I am resigning from my post as alchemy teacher at Duel Academy, nya."

"Are you certain about this?" Samejima asked. Granted, he himself would be resigning in a few days' time and passing his position as headmaster to Chronos – Kaiba himself had contacted him and requested that he do so and take responsibility for Fubuki's death, so that the school could continue. But there was no reason why Daitoukuji, one of the best and favorite teachers in the entire school, should feel the need to resign as well.

Daitoukuji nodded. "Very certain, nya. Teaching at Duel Academy has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I will miss it, but for the sake of my health, I have to leave, nya."

Samejima sighed melancholically before replying, "All right then. It's been a pleasure having you on my staff for all of these years, Daitoukuji, and I'm sorry to see you go."

Daitoukuji nodded. "Good bye, nya," he finished as he left the room, Pharaoh walking by his side but not rubbing up against his leg like he usually would.

* * *

"You've resigned?!" The voice on the computer was not very happy, to understate the obvious.

Daitoukuji, however, was not willing to be intimidated. "Yes, I have, nya. And I'm also resigning from the Seven Stars, nya."

This obviously came as a shock to the other person, whose tone became furious. "You can't just resign!"

"Chairman. I agreed to do these things in order to stay alive. I agreed to it, even though we were experimenting on students. But one of them has _died_ – it's gone too far, and I'll have nothing more to do with this!" Now it was Daitoukuji's turn to raise his voice, and his seriousness was also reflected in his lack of his habitual 'nya's.

"Without my help, you will die!"

Daitoukuji's voice was almost a scream now. Almost, as he still kept it low enough that it wouldn't disturb the students that lived in the rooms around his. "My life isn't worth someone else's death!"

Several seconds passed, and then the computer voice replied quietly, "Very well. If that is your decision, then goodbye." And with that, a small golden talisman on a book in Daitoukuji's room cracked and burst into dust.

"Goodbye, nya," Daitoukuji replied solemnly and shut his eyes before his body, that of a homunculus, turned to dust as well. A small orb of light managed to escape from it, though it was soon eaten by Pharaoh, who had been at his master's feet until the end, always.

It wouldn't be until the next morning that anyone would discover the intense amount of dust in Daitoukuji's room, and that was only when he didn't show up to breakfast. Samejima would later explain that he had probably left the island in the middle of the night, in order to leave as painlessly as he thought he could for the students. Still, Judai and Sho never would quite believe that story.

After all, a beloved teacher such as him would _want_ to say one final goodbye to his students.

* * *

_Dear Asuka,_ Judai wrote, and then he paused while he pondered what to write next. He felt he owed it to her, this letter that he was writing. _I hope you're doing well, or at least, as well as you can be, considering the circumstances. It's not right, your parents not allowing you to continue as a duelist anymore. But if you're ever around, I'd be up for a couple rounds for fun, if you ever want to._

_Lots of stuff has happened since you left – some of it good, some of it not so good. The not so good is that Daitoukuji-sensei and Principal Samejima both resigned from teaching about a week after you left. Daitoukuji-sensei didn't even say goodbye. But Chronos-sensei is the principal now, and even though he's new to the job, he's doing pretty well, I think. Apparently, next semester we're getting a new teacher from France. I don't think he's teaching Alchemy though – it wasn't on the list of courses offered next year._

Judai paused once again before continuing. _Four of the other Stars have shown up. There was an Amazoness named Taniya who joined because she was looking for a husband, and you should have seen Misawa. If I didn't know him at all, I would have thought he was completely in love with her. And after he lost to her – he did lose his key – he was completely out of it for days until I beat her._

_The next one was the Duel Spirit Don Zaloog. He and his Black Scorpions were pretty weird. Funny though. But Manjoume _– "SAN DA!" Judai jumped as he thought he heard the black haired duelist yelling at him. Though, come to think of it, Manjoume wasn't even in the room, and Judai hadn't been speaking aloud… huh. Must have been his imagination. But anyway – _Manjoume beat them pretty easily. I'm not sure what happened to them, though I thought I heard something that sounded like them when I passed by his little tent…_

_Anyway, next there was this ancient pharaoh named Abidos III. He was really cool, but he'd never lost because his subjects always went easy on him. After I won, he wanted me to come with him to the next world right away so that he could have more challenging duels. Hehe… but don't worry, I asked him to wait for me. I'm not ready to leave yet._

_The other one that's shown up was, believe it or not, that Titan creep that kidnapped you and took you to the Abandoned Dorm that one time. Apparently, when he lost to me the first time, he claims that he was being consumed by something, but then whoever's leading the Stars offered to get him out of it if he became one. Don't worry though – he's gone again. You should have seen Sho dueling him. He put his entire heart into it, and… he was just amazing._

_It's been a couple months since the last Star attacked. In fact, it's been so long that it's almost like the last one isn't coming. It's probably just some sort of tactic meant to catch us off our guard, but still, it's weird. And don't ask me what happened to Daitoukuji-sensei's key – he didn't give it back to Principal Samejima, and he didn't give it to anyone else either. But Sho, Manjoume and I are still protecting ours, don't worry!_

Judai stretched slightly before looking over what he'd written so far. The sunlight was kind of dying out in the distance, and it was almost time for dinner. So, he placed it on his desk, inside of a manga so that Sho and Hayato wouldn't notice it, and walked out of the room.

He had plenty of time to finish, and besides, he was starving.

* * *

_Author's Note: Hayato's dub name is Chumley. Misawa is Misawa's family name in both versions, though for others' reference, his original given name is Daichi, while his dub one is Bastion. Yusuke and Honest don't have dub names yet because they appear first in the fourth season, while the dub is half-way through the third._


	3. 3

**Lost Heaven  
**by BridgitKiido

Disclaimer: I don't own GX. I do own the two named OCs mentioned in this chapter, who exist only for plot device reasons and won't be very important later on. But I don't own GX.

Spoiler warning: This story will contain references to flashbacks first mentioned in the fourth season. However, the majority of it takes place during the first and second seasons. There will be heavier spoilers for those (though, obviously, things will be quite different in parts).

. 3 .

_Buildings with a hundred floors, swinging 'round revolving doors,  
__Maybe I don't know where they'll take me,  
__But I've gotta keep moving on, moving on –  
__Fly away. Break away.  
_-Kelly Clarkson, "Breakaway"

"Should I ask why you're getting rid of this letter without opening it, Brother?" a middle-aged man – one of Asuka's uncles – asked as he held up the aforementioned envelope. It had been sent from the residence of a Yuki family, though there were many such clans. It was a common enough name.

Asuka's father's reply was simple as he continued to sort through the mail. "It's from one of her friends at that Academy. I broke her ties with that school for her own safety – if she remains in contact with students there, she might get ideas and try to return someday."

"She did like it there though. Brother, you've lost your son, that's true. And I've lost my favorite nephew. But she's also just lost her older brother, which has to be a shock to her. Perhaps it was too sudden, to break all of her – "

"She's the only child I have left," the other interrupted, hitting the table. "As such, I'm not going to permit her to be exposed to the same thing that killed her brother. I can't risk losing my only child."

Asuka hung her head as she stood outside the door to the room in which her father and uncle were talking. It was rude to listen in, but if she didn't get caught, what was the big deal? And it wasn't as though there was anything else she wanted to do at the time. What her father was saying though… she didn't understand. He honestly thought that keeping her "safe" – that was, sheltering her from everything that could possibly go wrong in the world – was worth making her miserable?

As she heard her father conclude with, "She'll understand, someday," she hid her face and returned to her room, as ever convinced that her father was wrong.

* * *

In her room, she didn't have to listen to her father's paranoia – in fact, she kept the door locked, so that he couldn't come in without her permission. Collapsing on her bed, lit by a small lamp nearby – she had, admittedly, developed her own fears of the darkness that had taken her brother – she pulled from inside of her pillow a single envelope. It was something that Ayukawa-sensei said Fubuki, in one of his rare moments of consciousness while Asuka hadn't been around, had asked her to give to his younger sister if he didn't get the chance to do so himself. One final gift.

Perhaps he'd known for a while that he wasn't going to make it. Perhaps even from the day he disappeared.

Ayukawa had made sure to give the envelope to Asuka in private, and it was now, in the privacy of her room, that she finally opened it. And when she read the short, scrawled note inside, written almost as though it had been difficult and taken a lot of energy just for him to write it, and saw the small object that was included…

She was safe, in the privacy of her own room, with no one around to see her in her moment of weakness. No one was around to see her cry.

* * *

Life eventually took on a sense of… well, one could call it an attempt at normalcy, for Asuka. She returned to a school setting, though it was a regular high school, not an academy for duelists. Some of the students were nice, and she made a few friends, but she never thought as though she really fit in there. Not that she made any particular effort on her part to do so – most of them just saw her as the oddly quiet girl in the corner who was always looking inside a fold-up pocket mirror when she thought no one else was looking.

One girl at the school, a black-haired youth of medium popularity named Karasuno Sakura, took a bit of an interest in Asuka. None of her friends could quite see why… but then, Sakura had always had a bit of a different taste for people, and usually her decisions for whom to talk to turned out all right, so no one argued. …Not that Asuka was particularly interested in having any friends, but that wasn't exactly about to stop Sakura.

And besides, they both eventually found that the other was a huge asset when it came to figuring out certain aspects of homework. Her time, however short, at Duel Academy had helped Asuka quite a bit with her logic and reasoning skills, as well as, admittedly, her math; similarly, Sakura had a knack for subjects such as Literature and English.

And as it happened, neither of them particularly minded singing karaoke.

"Wow, Asuka!" Sakura exclaimed as the song ended. The two of them had been singing a duet, though it would have been obvious to anyone listening that one of the voices was far superior to the other. "You sing really well."

Asuka rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Thanks, but I'm not all that great, really. Brother and I did used to take lessons, years ago, but he always had a voice that was so much nicer than mine."

Sakura tilted her head slightly. "You have a brother? Wow, I wish I had a brother or sister. What's he like? Can I meet him some time?"

It shortly became obvious that Sakura had said exactly the wrong words. Asuka turned her face away sadly and closed her eyes. After a moment, she stated quietly, "…He's… not around anymore."

It took Sakura a moment, but eventually she understood what Asuka meant and gasped slightly. Hanging her head, she replied, "I'm sorry… I didn't know. If I had known, I wouldn't have said anything."

They sat in awkward silence for a minute, Sakura not daring to say anything more for fear of what her words would do further to Asuka. But then, after a little while, Asuka turned back toward Sakura, an attempt at a smile on her face. "But enough about that for now. You sing well too, Sakura."

Sakura laughed slightly. "Thanks, but I really don't. I don't have any talent for it, really." Then, however, she added, almost as an afterthought, "You, on the other hand… if you wanted to, I bet you could become a professional. All you'd need to do was find the right manager to take you in, and I bet there are lots of people out there who would love to hear you sing."

Asuka was dumb struck by Sakura's suggestion. It wasn't as though it was so extremely different from anything she'd ever thought possible…

"_Who knows? If you and I ever lose interest in Duel Monsters, we could always go into a career as sibling idols. Bucky and Asuryn… I like the sound of that! What do you think, Asuka?"_

It just sounded familiar, that's all. Like something her brother had said once. "If you think I could, then maybe I should try," she replied, though in her mind she wasn't completely talking to Sakura.

With a smile, Sakura continued, "Come to think of it, I have a friend whose uncle is a manager who's discovered several of the more popular artists these days. Kuroki Mio, Fujiwara Zakuro, Segawa Onpu… just to name a few, of course. And I happen to know that he's looking for a newly discovered talent to open an upcoming concert."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small business card. Holding it out toward Asuka, she continued, "If you want, here's his work number and address. If you make an appointment, I'm sure he'll love to hear you audition."

Asuka took the small card that she was offered and, after a moment, replied seriously, "I'll think about it."

* * *

About a week later, Asuka walked, alone to the address she had been given. She had made her appointment after a careful amount of thought, and even if she felt like turning back now, it was too late to do so without being extremely rude.

Years ago, back in the days when the Pro Leagues of Duel Monsters had just begun to pick up popularity, before Duel Academy had even existed (though the concept might have), both of the Tenjoin children had fallen in love with the game, and both had wanted to become champions.

But Fubuki had suggested that day that, if somehow Duel Monsters lost its appeal, the both of them sing for a living. It had been a childish whim at the time, a fantasy that might have been lost in an instant. But now, because the world of Duel Monsters was no longer reachable for Asuka…

Perhaps, just perhaps…

She entered the building and, upon verifying where she was supposed to go with the receptionist, headed toward the correct room. The closed door to the room seemed somewhat intimidating, but Asuka took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The door opened to reveal a well-dressed young man, no older than his thirties, with short black hair. He smiled upon seeing who had knocked and held out his hand. "Hi, you must be Miss Tenjoin, here for the audition, right?" As Asuka nodded and accepted his handshake, he continued, "I'm Tsukino Eichi. It's nice to meet you. Now, what will you be singing today?"

* * *

The audition went smoothly – if anything, Asuka thought that this time, she had sung better than she ever had before. As she left, Eichi told her that she would be receiving a letter within the next week or so, letting her know whether she had been chosen or not. After all, she wasn't the only one auditioning. He had been smiling though, so she took that as a good sign.

About that much time later, Asuka was helping to prepare dinner at her home when her father asked, "Asuka, do you know a Tsukino Eichi from anywhere?"

"Yes," she replied without looking up. "He's the music manager I told you about. I auditioned with him about a week ago." She refrained from saying more, though she was wondering why her father was asking.

Apparently satisfied with the response, her father passed her a letter. "In that case, this is for you."

Taking the letter with a bit of wonder, Asuka opened it and read what it said. "Miss Tenjoin, I congratulate you for being selected to open the upcoming concert," it began.

Though it continued for a length of time about the specific details that she would have to know for preparing and all that stuff, she could hardly pay much attention to that at the moment.

_Brother… I can't duel anymore, and we can't sing together, but… I'll do my best, in your memory._

* * *

_Author's Note: Them taking English is purposeful – in Japan, I'm assuming one would take English as a second language, similar to how one would take French or Spanish (or, depending on your school, a variety of other languages) in the United States. However, I don't pretend to know anything about school systems in Japan, so please go easy on me if I'm wrong about certain details._

_Karasuno Sakura: Karasu means crow. Sakura was chosen as her given name because… well, Sakura is one of the most common names used for female, Japanese OCs in fanfiction. I didn't want her to seem like anyone special, because she's not supposed to be anyone special._

_Tsukino Eichi: His family name is borrowed from that of Tsukino Usagi from Sailor Moon, while his given name is borrowed from a character of the same name from Full Moon wo Sagashite. Neither of which I own, by the way._

_The list of artists that Sakura gives is a list of fictional characters that fulfill the kind of idol role in their particular series – for the sake of this story, it is assumed that they are just non-magical in this world, though they still sing. I don't own any of them either, and if you don't recognize them, feel free to ask and I'll be glad to identify their series._


	4. 4

**Lost Heaven  
**by BridgitKiido

Disclaimer: I don't own GX. If I did, episode 174 would have ended _much_ differently, trust me.

Spoiler warning: This story will contain references to flashbacks first mentioned in the fourth season. However, the majority of it takes place during the first and second seasons. There will be heavier spoilers for those (though, obviously, things will be quite different in parts).

. 4 .

_It's simple, confusing - the truth is I'm winning but I'm losing,  
And pulling and pushing won't do me any good.  
It could, it should.  
I'm honest to myself that the truth is I lied.  
_-Lillix, "It's About Time"

"Kabayama."

The head of the Ra Yellow dormitory looked up from grading the review test he had given the previous day. A new school year had just begun, and he had to make sure that his second-year students didn't fall behind. He hadn't been expecting company, but seeing who was standing at the door, he smiled a bit.

"Ah, Satou. Come on in."

Duel Academy's history teacher walked into the room and sat himself down. "I wanted to tell you this before I handed in my letter to the headmaster, but I'm resigning from Duel Academy tomorrow morning."

Kabayama dropped his pen. "You're leaving? Why?"

Satou's head drooped. "Because no one cares about my class. I guess I was denying the inevitable for a while - I thought attendance would be better this year. But the first day, I looked up, and there were only a handful of students who weren't asleep. The second day, only about half of the students actually showed up – yesterday, no one did! I'm a failure as a teacher, just as I'm a failure at everything I try to do in life."

"Don't say that," Kabayama tried to comfort Satou. "I've heard several of your history lectures – they're actually quite interesting."

Satou scoffed slightly. "There's only one _student_ who has ever thought so, and she's gone. There's not one among the rest of them that cares, and I can't get them to no matter how hard I try to make it interesting."

Realizing that Satou had made up his mind and was not going to change it, Kabayama changed to a slightly different topic. "Well, in that case, what will you do instead?"

"I don't know," Satou replied, his head still hanging. "I failed in the Pro Leagues and as a teacher, but I do want to do something pertaining to dueling if I can – it's all I have. I hear that Industrial Illusions is hiring – maybe I can get an office job or something."

Kabayama stood up from his desk, walked over to where Satou sat, and put a supporting hand on his shoulder. "Well, whatever it is that you decide, you'll always have my support, my friend."

Satou looked up and gave as much of a smile as he could. "Thanks, Kabayama."

"If it's your last night on the island tonight, why don't you come have dinner at Ra Yellow? It's curry night tonight."

"That sounds great – I'll be there."

* * *

"Ah, the start of a new school year is always an exciting time, na no ne," Chronos remarked as he stretched back in his chair. He was the principal now, and he had so far been exceptionally diligent in his duties as such. But for the moment, he had finished all of the paperwork that he needed to finish, and his next class wasn't for half an hour, so he was taking a short break. "New students to meet, new classes to teach, and even some of this year's first years in Osiris Red seem mildly promising, na no ne." 

"Sure they do," the portly man standing in front of his desk remarked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "But most of them don't have any potential at all, and their being here is just a waste of resources that could be used to help the students in Ra Yellow or Obelisk Blue, de aru."

Chronos sent a look at the other person that one might have mistaken for a bit of a glare. "_Vice_ Principal Napoleon, are you bringing up the proposal to tear down the Osiris dormitory again, na no ne? I specifically told you, I don't want to hear it – this school was designed with the dormitories it has, and I'm not about to consent to changing it unless Kaiba himself asks me to, na no ne."

"Fine," Napoleon responded, unable to hide the tiniest bit of resentment in his voice, but otherwise accepting.

"So anyway, what did you want to see me for?" Chronos asked a moment later.

Napoleon then produced several sheets of paper. "Just some news you might find important, de aru. First off, Chairman Kagemaru died last night – reportedly, his last words were something about not having finished some kind of search, de aru."

Chronos bowed his head and hummed slightly. "A fine man, though I suppose it was inevitable, what with his age, na no ne. I suppose they will be looking for someone to take over in his job soon, na no ne."

"Probably," Napoleon shrugged. "The next thing: you asked me to tape the duel between Marufuji Ryou and Edo Phoenix the other night, since you were so busy, and I did, but would you like to know the results first, de aru?"

Chronos thought for a moment before nodding. "My students will probably be talking about it next period, so it would not be very proper for me to not know at least the result, na no ne."

"It was a close match, but Edo won, de aru."

"Hmm," Chronos closed his eyes and nodded. "Well, I suppose everyone has their wins and losses, na no ne. But as long as Ryou tried his best, that's what's important, na no ne. Anything else?"

"There is one more thing," Napoleon replied. "There was a call earlier, from Saiou Takuma, Edo's manager, de aru. Apparently, they're both coming here soon – Monsieur Saiou is looking for a new protégé, and they intend to look here for up and coming duelists, de aru."

"Splendid!" Chronos exclaimed. "When are they coming, did they say, na no ne?"

"Saiou is apparently busy, so he won't be here for a couple more days, but Edo is apparently coming tonight, de aru."

"Well then," Chronos replied with a smile, "tell the Obelisk cooks to expect one more for dinner tonight. We have to give Mr. Phoenix a good welcome, na no ne."

* * *

What was Judai to Manjoume, anyway? 

From the day Judai beat Chronos in his entry examination, Manjoume had considered him a rival, someone he had to someday become strong enough to defeat. So far, that hadn't happened (obviously – two out of the three times they had dueled, Judai had won, and the other time was inconclusive), which only inspired the black-haired boy to work harder. Rivals always fought against each other, always working to overcome the other.

So then why had Manjoume begun to have opinions of Judai that bordered on those which friends would have of each other? Rivals couldn't be friends – it was just… an oxymoron! Impossible to do! You couldn't help each other _and_ seek to stand in each other's way.

He scowled a bit as he twirled the key that he wore around his neck. Yes, he still had it – as far as any of them knew, the seventh Star was still out there, and until they were all defeated, the keys had to be protected. He, Sho, and Judai still wore theirs, and Daitoukuji's was still hidden away somewhere, most likely anyway.

But why, after Judai had suddenly just up and lost the ability to see the images on his cards (or so he claimed – it's not as though Manjoume actually _believed_ that the brunette had really lost the ability to see images printed in ink on pieces of thin cardboard, especially when he himself could see them fine), had Manjoume found himself worrying for his well being, even for a second or two? And not in a "you're my rival so I'm the only one allowed to beat you" kind of way, either – it was kind of similar to what he'd been thinking the day Asuka's brother had died, and he had found himself somewhat worried about her. They weren't rivals, so it was probably a slight bit of friendship there… but what were those thoughts doing, surrounding Judai's current situation like this?

"What're you thinking about, Aniki?" Ojama Yellow asked as he and his brothers appeared in front of Manjoume, all of them smiling goofily as usual – had Manjoume been slightly more tolerant of the spirits, he might have determined that they had noticed his confused state and were trying to get him to think of something else for the time being, to get him to cheer up.

But he was, admittedly, not that tolerant, and he waved his hand through the spirits in an annoyed manner to get them to dissipate. "Can't you three just leave me alone for five minutes?" And rather than face his wrath, the Ojamas returned to their cards without informing him that it had, in fact, been _six_ minutes since they had last come out. (Green had counted.)

It was not as though Manjoume could get a break though, as a sharp knock echoed through his room. "Manjoume!" a pre-pubescent male voice called in. "Aniki's missing!"

And with that, Manjoume gave a slight groan. Just what he needed. "Fine, Sho, I'll help look for him," he called in an annoyed tone as he carefully stood up and grabbed his duel disk.

Months later, he would regret having left his room that night. After all, finding Judai probably wouldn't have helped anyway, and it certainly would have avoided a lot of trouble.

* * *

The Hanged Man. 

The twelfth of the Major Arcana, it depicts a young man hanging from his ankle, suspended between the physical and the spiritual in a moment of clarity. When it appears, it is often interpreted as a need to look at things from a new perspective, to let go of worldly matters and accept that not everything is in one's control.

And as Saiou watched Manjoume dangle there, the tree's branches pulling him up by his ankle, he could not help thinking of how appropriate that description was.

Admittedly, this wasn't exactly what Saiou had wanted. If everything had gone his way, Judai would have lost his free will after Edo defeated him, rather than just losing the ability to see his cards. Judai was the Fool, filled with infinite possibilities, and having his power to see spirits, as well as, seemingly, to transcend destiny, would have been a great advantage for his cause.

But there was no use pining over that which one couldn't have. Besides, he had discovered another young boy who could see spirits, and he was much easier to convince. Not only that, but he had an inner turmoil that was easily exploited for his own ends – and what was more, it was over his association with Judai. (If he had tried this on many other people, Saiou might have even determined that, perhaps, it had been _too_ easy to influence this child.)

Besides, in the story of the Tarot, weren't the Fool and the Hanged Man the same person? Therefore, as long as he had one of the two, he had the power that he would need.

Yes, Saiou mused. Jun Manjoume would be an excellent disciple of the Light.

* * *

_Author's Note: Kabayama's dub name is Professor Sartyr. Satou's is Professor Stein. I figure those two, both being rather ignored teachers, would be at least mildly friendly with each other. Napoleon (who is, in fact, French in canon, by the way) has the dub name of Jean-Louis Bonaparte, while Edo's is Aster. (Edo could probably be written as Ed, but I prefer to call him Edo.) And of course, Saiou's name in the English dub is Sartorius, which I find to be extremely dorky and way too long. (For clarification, Saiou is his family name, while Takuma is his given name.)_

_Aniki, according to most definitions I have found of the word, is a title that means "big brother", but can also take on a bit of a boss connotation. This is what the Ojamas call Manjoume, as well as what Sho and Kenzan call Judai. …And incidentally, that's Tyranno Kenzan, aka 'Hassleberry' in the dub, and I can never tell which one's his given name. He'll probably show up next chapter, but since I'm mentioning him in this author's note, might as well translate now._

_I am no expert on the Tarot, nor do I claim to be. All I know is from what the GX canon explains, as well as a little bit of extra that I've looked up on websites. Therefore, if I get any interpretations wrong, please let me know and I will make an attempt to revise it. This applies throughout the entire story after this as well._


	5. 5

**Lost Heaven  
**by BridgitKiido

Disclaimer: I don't own GX. If I did, Fubuki would have at least received one win on-screen – he deserved to win at least once.

Spoiler warning: This story will contain references to flashbacks first mentioned in the fourth season. However, the majority of it takes place during the first and second seasons. There will be heavier spoilers for those (though, obviously, things will be quite different in parts).

. 5 .

_There's so many fast breaks, quick cuts and a million starts  
__Pulling you away from what you really love.  
__If you sing your own song, straight from your heart,  
__You'll find yourself rising above.  
_-Ashley Ballard, "Don't Get Lost in the Crowd"

"Do you understand what I'm telling you, Judai?" Aqua Dolphin asked, a somewhat serious but ever-playful expression on his face. "You are the one who the universe has chosen to defeat the Light of Destruction, the chosen guardian of the gentle darkness. And we Neo-Spacians have been chosen to help you in your task."

Judai nodded, though his expression told otherwise as he fanned through the new deck once again. The deck that Kaiba Corporation had sent up into outer space years before, the deck that held one-of-a-kind cards that _he_ had designed when he was five, the deck that held the unique Neo-Spacian cards and their representative Elemental Hero, the deck that had restored his ability to see his cards… now belonged to him. It was kind of hard to believe that he was supposed to use it to restore the universe to its natural order – if there wasn't already proof that Duel Monsters as a game was heavily connected to the fate of the world, he probably wouldn't have believed it at all.

Protecting the darkness, huh…

His memory flashed briefly to one of his prior opponents, two years his senior, who had died soon after they had played because he had been overwhelmed by that power. But he shook it off – it would have happened no matter who his opponent was, probably, and there was no changing the past.

His key swung quietly, reflecting the spread-out deck in its metallic surface. It made him slightly nervous, admittedly – he knew he was supposed to protect his key, but now he was supposed to protect everything else too? And both from opponents he didn't know all that much about.

"It will be difficult," Judai stated, "but I'll do my best."

After all, maybe he'd get to have an unforgettably fun duel at the same time that he was saving the world.

* * *

There was no use denying it – Marufuji Ryou, the Kaiser himself, was on a losing streak. Ever since his duel with Edo Phoenix, he hadn't won a single duel, and he'd had his share of them. He was the laughing stock of the media, and sponsors were dropping their deals with him left and right.

At first he'd thought it was just a small unlucky streak, and wouldn't be a big deal. But as he lost his twelfth match in a row and was hit with a kernel of popcorn on his way out of the arena, he was, admittedly, worried.

Had he really hit rock bottom? Was this really as far as he could go? The words Judai had said to him during the graduation duel rang in his ears again: "You're perfect, Kaiser." Perfect, with no way to improve the way he was going. And soon, this state of 'perfection' wouldn't be enough to even earn him a living anymore.

The sponsor who had just left had suggested that he change his style, try something completely different from what he had been doing. But he wasn't about to follow anyone else's directions and lose himself – he had promised, that day. Anything he did, he was going to do without changing from his path of respect.

That didn't make it any less difficult, though, and he briefly wondered as he showered, _What would Fubuki do if this was happening to him?_

He knew what Fubuki would do, actually. If Fubuki found himself without any sponsors and unable to continue in the Pro Leagues – given, of course, the ability to have gone to them in the first place – he would maybe be upset for a day or two, but then he'd go with his backup plan and audition to become an idol or model or something.

(No, Ryou was not interested in doing that, thanks. He wasn't _that_ desperate.)

As he walked out of the arena, he came across a man in a black coat who didn't seem to want him to pass. "What do you want?" he asked in a neutral tone.

The man replied, "I was in the stands, watching tonight's duel. I just want to express my sympathy - here you are, a duelist with so much potential, and yet everything's going badly for you. It must be embarrassing."

Ryou shrugged before trying to walk past again, but the man didn't seem to want him to leave.

"If you want to make your way back up in the Pro Leagues, you're going to have to earn back some popularity." He held out a small business card. "The name's Monkey Sarushima – I run the Underground Dueling circuit around here. It's a tough place, but the media isn't allowed, so even if you lose, you won't lose reputation. The only way you can go is up from here, Mr. Marufuji."

"Thanks, but I'm not interested," Ryou replied coolly, not looking at Sarushima. "I'll duel how I want to duel, and that's out in the open, honestly and respectfully."

"Oh, come on, at least consider it." Sarushima was, by this point, nearly forcing the small card into Ryou's hand.

Sighing, Ryou took the business card and replied, "Fine, I'll _consider_ it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to."

"Of course," the man replied with a bow and what could be mistaken for a sinister grin. "I'll await your appearance."

Ryou left the building, looking over the business card. As soon as he was out of sight of the doorway, he tore the card in two and placed it in the nearest trash receptacle. He had kept his promise – he had looked it over and considered it, and his decision had not changed.

He knew where he wanted to go in order to get advice, and that place wasn't underground in the least.

* * *

Saiou played with the string for a moment, allowing his hands to memorize its very texture. It was rather old string, and slightly frayed from consistent wearing, and at first it had been mildly damp, but it felt interesting dried off.

His eyes, of course, were hardly focused on the string. They instead glanced down at the pendant that hung from it, a golden object that could only be described as similar to a Tetris tile. It glimmered brightly in the white room, reflecting the walls and, at the right angle, Saiou's own face.

What was it Manjoume had told him? Seven keys, which could be used by those who won them to unlock three Legendary Demon cards with the power to cause limitless destruction.

This was, of course, exactly what the Light required – destruction of the Earth, of this useless little planet that stubbornly created a shadow (a shadow, of all things!) and blocked the Light's progress through the universe. Unfortunate that Saiou's psychic abilities alone would hardly be enough to get what he needed, but nothing came easily.

And besides, he had the perfect puppet to gather the keys for him. Speaking of whom…

"Saiou-sama!" came a voice from outside the room, with a tone that held nothing but respect.

"You may enter."

As Manjoume entered, dressed in a pure white uniform suitable for his current obsession, he held in his outstretched arm three similar pendants to the one Saiou held. "Perhaps by pure luck, I found these simply in their keyholes."

"Good, Manjoume," was Saiou's response, with a tone as though he was a mother softly thanking a child for falling asleep. "And since you mentioned that they need to be won in duels… would you perhaps be interested in a little bit of practice?"

Even if he had wanted to argue, which perhaps a buried part of him did, Manjoume would happily oblige.

* * *

"So, have you seen the latest top singles chart?"

Momoe smiled brightly as she recalled looking it up just that morning. "Of course I have. A lot of my favorites made it on this week."

"That's always nice when that happens," Junko replied, also with a smile. "But have you heard the one that made number 3 yet?"

"No, I haven't, actually. I was interested, but Mom said that the shop was all sold out of that one when she went to look for it."

"Well…" Junko fished through her bag and, with a bit of a grin, pulled out a single CD, the latest single by the young up-and-coming artist known only as Asuryn.

"Wow!" Momoe said in awe as she realized just what her friend had pulled out. "How did you get that?"

"The good friend of a second cousin of mine has an uncle in the business, and he just so happens to be her manager, so I can sometimes buy them straight from the source. Would you like to listen?"

"Of course!" was Momoe's enthusiastic reply. "Thank you so much, Junko!"

Junko smiled as she handed the disk to her friend. "It's no problem, really." Then, as a bit of an afterthought, "I kind of wonder who Asuryn really is. I've searched and searched on the Internet, but I haven't found her real name or a photo or anything. Even at her debut, when she opened for the Mio concert a while back, no one could tell who she was."

"It is a mystery," Momoe agreed. "Maybe we'll get to meet her someday."

Junko nodded. "That would be so cool if we could." And perhaps she might have continued that thought, if she hadn't seen something over her friend's shoulder. "Is that… Manjoume?"

Momoe looked over her shoulder in the direction Junko was pointed, replying after a moment, "Why is he wearing white?"

"Not just him," Junko remarked as she suddenly noticed the other students with him, all of them in matching white uniforms. "Why is the rest of the Obelisk dormitory wearing white?"

Both of the girls looked at each other for a moment before deciding that they really didn't want to stick around too long to find out. Maybe Ayukawa-sensei would know what was going on – at the very least, finding a teacher would probably be the best thing to do.

* * *

Thinking it over, this probably had not been one of Sho's most brilliant ideas.

Granted, his intentions had been for the best. After all, though he and Kenzan chose to stay in the Osiris Red dormitory with Judai, there was a reason why he wore a yellow uniform. If Ra was attacked, then he had a duty to defend it.

Besides, if Manjoume got to all of the Ra Yellow students and convinced them to wear white uniforms, it would only be a matter of time before he started on getting rid of the color red as well. Not doing anything would be delaying the inevitable, really.

His mistake, however, was thinking, since Manjoume was obviously not in his right mind, that he stood a better chance than usual at defeating him. Though perhaps a little bit of it was the thought that, since he was the Kaiser's little brother, he might have a little bit of his brother's talent somewhere deep down.

Not that these were weaknesses, per say, but against Saiou's power…

He heard the voices of his friends – Kenzan, Misawa, and Judai, his important Aniki – calling his name as he fell, but they sounded distant, as though muffled by an unfelt pair of earmuffs. In his mind, he reprimanded himself – how had he not noticed Manjoume's final trap? It had been right there, in plain sight.

His brother wouldn't have fallen for it. His brother would have taken the necessary precautions. His brother could have won this, easily.

For the briefest instant, his thoughts echoed his wish to become stronger, to finally become a duelist actually _worthy_ of being the Kaiser's little brother.

After that, everything went white.

* * *

_Author's Note: Sarushima's dub name is rather strange: Mr. Shroud. Momoe translates somehow to Mindy, while Junko's dub name is Jasmine. The Osiris Red dormitory, in the dub, is called Slifer Red. I have no clue why – probably something along the lines of "Oh, Osiris is the Egyptian god of the _dead_, and we can't have that, nope." Personally, I find that Osiris is far easier to pronounce…_


	6. 6

**Lost Heaven  
**by BridgitKiido

Disclaimer: I don't own GX. I also didn't write the first amendment to the Constitution, which protects freedom of speech. However, that happens to be invoked rather heavily as well.

Spoiler warning: This story will contain references to flashbacks first mentioned in the fourth season. However, the majority of it takes place during the first and second seasons. There will be heavier spoilers for those (though, obviously, things will be quite different in parts).

. 6 .

_We carry on our backs the burden  
Time always reveals -  
The lonely light of morning,  
The wound that would not heal._  
-Sarah McLachlan, "Fallen"

There is light, and there is darkness. Many associate the light as the source of all good, and the darkness as the source of all evil. Most modern religion focuses greatly on this, as does a significant portion of popular culture. As stated previously, however, it's how the abilities are used, rather than their particular element, that determine whether they are good or evil.

Those who follow the light are usually the types of people who prefer to follow, rather than to lead. Blinded by the popular associations and their leaders' words, they consider their cause just, no matter what it may be. The followers' share in the element's power is divided equally among them, and so since there are so many, the effect is minimal at best.

Sometimes, however, there appear people who follow the light and are leaders, rather than followers. These people are the high priests of the religions, or the leaders of the cults that aren't quite religions, granted a far larger share of the light's elemental strength than anyone else. Much of this accents their persuasive abilities, bringing in new sheep into their fold and converting others to join their particular light-based faith. Sometimes, a chosen few are granted the ability to create miracles, though this is rare.

There are exactly two glaring problems with those who follow the light's path blindly. The first is that, being blinded by the media and the words of the religious leaders, they don't stop to question their opinions. They just accept what the leaders tell them as absolute truth, regardless of all of the other facts that may point otherwise. This is why there are so many prosecuted people in this world today – no one would ever choose to be something that general society scorns, like homosexual, autistic, with a different skin color, or one of unlimited other things not considered 'normal' by most social standards. And yet because the religion says that such people either chose to be 'evil' or are undergoing 'punishment' for something they supposedly did in life, the sheep follow blindly and attack them with their words, their scorn… even, sometimes, their weapons.

The second problem is that those who follow the light believe that only what is protected under their particular form of the light is worthy of remaining in existence. Modern monotheistic religions dictate that the only way to be 'saved' is to follow their particular branch of their own faith, and some will go door to door on an evangelical quest to convert. More radical branches will attempt to massacre those of a different religion, claiming that they are unclean and unworthy to inhabit the same earth as them.

The most terrifying, however, was one particular branch that, though only their leader really knew it, followed the Light of Destruction, which believed that everything which casted even the tiniest shadow must be eliminated. Yes, even its very servants, once their purpose had been fulfilled.

It was a cult called the Hikari no Kessha, the Society of Light.

* * *

"Please, you have to save my brother. The two of you are the only ones who can."

Mizuchi's final words before they had escaped the virtual world still rang heavily through Judai and Edo's minds. Neither of them had been expecting anything like that to happen – heck, the only reason why Judai had even gone there was to rescue Kenzan and Misawa, who had been kidnapped by the younger Saiou sibling's servants. (Misawa looked rather… interesting in that Pikeru outfit, though he was, naturally, quite embarrassed.) He felt guilty about not having been able to help Kabayama-sensei look for the missing Mr. Motou, but if his friends were in trouble…

Edo was mostly shaken by the fact that it was _Saiou_ who was in trouble. Saiou Takuma. His manager, his friend, one of the strongest people he knew, needed help, even though he had no clue where to start when it came to providing that help. But he would do whatever he could.

Judai, however, was more shaken by the similarities. Here was yet another young man commanded by an elemental power outside his control, and their younger sister who was worried about them. And here he was expected to save him? Save him, when he couldn't save Asuka's brother?

He had promised to do his best, just as he had promised the Neo-Spacians that he would do his best, but deep down, he doubted whether his best was good enough.

* * *

It was taking a while for Samejima to get used to retirement. Every morning, he would still wake up and forget for a minute that he wasn't on Duel Academy island, that he didn't have a pile of paperwork waiting for him when he got out of bed, and that there wouldn't be any students around to greet him in the morning when he made his way down to breakfast. Instead, he was in a small room in the back of the otherwise deserted Cyber Dojo, he would maybe find one or two short letters in the mailbox if he was really lucky, and he would be having breakfast alone. Yes, he would be re-opening the Dojo eventually, and then there would be other children here, but for now, he was alone.

…Except this particular morning, as he made his way to the kitchen to make himself something, he found that he wasn't _quite_ alone.

Now, he wasn't completely blind to the outside world, and he had been paying attention to the Pro circuits, so he'd known about Ryou's rise and decline. But he had to admit, he hadn't expected to see the Kaiser there that morning, standing in the middle of the main hall, practicing the same drawing exercises he had performed each morning when he had trained here so long ago. How long was it now… nine years already since he had earned the Cyber End Dragon and become the Dojo's successor?

Ryou must have noticed Samejima standing there, for he suddenly stopped his exercise and turned toward the other man. Bowing respectfully, he said, "Good morning, Principal Samejima… no, it should be Master Samejima, actually."

"Good morning, Ryou," Samejima replied. "My apologies for not being there to greet you when you arrived; I hadn't been expecting to see you."

"I'm sorry I didn't send word in advance," Ryou replied. Then, bowing even lower, he asked, "However, I beg you; please let me train with you again."

"Huh?"

"I need to become stronger," Ryou admitted, "but I swore that I wouldn't stray from the path I've already chosen, even for a moment. So please, train me again!"

"I'm sorry, Ryou, but I've taught you all that I can." …Well, not quite. There was one thing… but that had been sealed for a reason.

Ryou, however, was persistent. "There must be something." And as he looked up into Samejima's eyes, and Samejima into his, the older man saw in the younger not desperation, not sadness or despair, but great determination, coupled, admittedly, with some stubbornness. And respect also, always.

Well, if he wasn't going to give up… He'd seen Ryou duel, not just as a student of the Cyber Dojo but as a student of the Academy. He knew that Ryou was one of the most promising students he'd ever seen, in both places. There was a reason he had chosen him to carry one of the keys, after all.

That had been sealed, yes, but perhaps…

Samejima hesitated for a moment before bowing his head. "There is one thing, perhaps. However, it was sealed away long ago, and for good reason. Before I will even consent to show you, we must duel to see if you are ready."

Ryou nodded, having expected that outcome. Duels were how everything was settled, after all. In his heart, he was thankful that his teacher was giving him this chance.

And therefore, the two of them set up their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands.

"Duel!"

* * *

The first shock had been when Sho had fallen to Manjoume in the first place. Not in the sense that he'd lost the duel, exactly – Manjoume had been playing rather ruthlessly ever since he'd started wearing that white getup – but rather the fact that he'd been pulled into the weird cult that Manjoume had started on campus. He had immediately stopped calling Judai his Aniki, which, admittedly, hurt a little inside.

The second was when Judai had passed Sho, who was now wearing white himself, in the hallway and discovered that he was no longer carrying his key. When asked about where he had put it, Sho merely replied that it was no longer his – it hadn't ever been his in the first place, so why should he keep it from its true owner?

The third was when Sho approached Judai outside by the Osiris dormitory one afternoon and asked… no, demanded to duel with him, with the winner being the one to keep the key around Judai's neck. When he jokingly asked whether Sho wanted the pendant too, Judai was met with an emotionless glare that could have frozen the volcano over.

The fourth was how much Sho's deck had changed upon joining the Hikari no Kessha. Sure, there were still a few Vehicroids in there, but many of them had been replaced by white warrior monsters and support cards for them. Half of the new cards Judai had never seen before, but all of their models looked rather bland. And the effects weren't respectful in the least, hardly something that anyone trying to walk the Kaiser's footsteps should use.

The thing that broke Judai, however, was when he was just about to win the duel. Just as he was about to attack with Flare Neos, Sho interrupted, "So, this is the end, then. Please don't kill me for not being as good as you are, Judai."

_Don't kill me… don't kill me…_

And suddenly, Judai found himself unable to declare his attack. How could he do so? He had killed Fubuki when he was like this – who was to say he could control his power enough that it _wouldn't_ kill Sho too?

"Aniki!" Kenzan tried to bring him back to reality, but even that could do nothing to stop Judai from breaking down and, rather than attacking, ending his turn. And without Neospace on the field, the monster went back to his fusion deck, leaving him wide open for a direct attack from Sho, ending the game.

His mysterious powers protected his mind from Saiou's influence, but the damage had been done, and as Sho claimed his prize with a sadistic grin, in his mind, Judai's will to duel shattered completely.

* * *

"What's wrong with Aniki?" Ojama Green asked sadly as he floated through the air. "It was as though he didn't care at all."

"It was as though he couldn't hear us calling out to him anymore," Ojama Black agreed, an air of worry about him.

"I don't like it," Ojama Yellow added, his tone one of someone scared. "Ever since he met that Saiou guy, Aniki hasn't talked to us at all, hasn't yelled at us at all, hasn't paid any attention when we've said anything to him, even when we were trying to get a rise out of him…"

"Don't tell Aniki, but I was actually rooting for Misawa to beat him earlier, so that maybe he'd snap out of this and start talking to us again," Green admitted.

"I was too," Black replied.

Yellow nodded as well. "But he couldn't, and now we're here, and it's scary."

At the top entrance to the well, Pharaoh the cat slept quietly. It was kind of scary being with the humans right now, and so until he got hungry and went back to Osiris Red to beg for food there, he would stay in the forest.

The spirit sleeping in his stomach, however, was rudely awakened upon hearing three voices from the bottom of the well crying "HELP!" simultaneously. Daitoukuji had thought he was hearing things, but there it came again. And again.

Geeze… why did they have to wake him up? And he'd been having such a nice dream… Maybe he should get someone to take care of that.

Then again, was there anyone? Technically, no one actually knew he was dead here. And if the students ever found out about that and put two and two together, why would they ever help him?

He'd caused the death of his own student, after all.

* * *

Prince Ojin of Misralz gave a bored sigh. If there was one thing in the entire world that he enjoyed more than anything else, it was the card game Duel Monsters. And there was a tournament happening over at West Academy that he would have loved to have gone to. Unfortunately, it was a little too far from home, and he had to protect the keys to his country's laser satellite. After all, if they got into the wrong hands, who knew what could happen.

Maybe if a tournament had happened closer to home, say, at Duel Academy… but that school had somehow managed to close itself off from the outside world, and no one knew what was happening there at all, really. Except for the obvious – no tournaments.

Hadn't the previous principal been thinking about holding one? Ojin would have loved to have gone if that had happened. But he'd stepped down before he had gotten the opportunity to hold it, and the new principal wasn't willing to do so.

So Ojin sat in his castle, bored as usual, twiddling the satellite keys between his fingers.

* * *

_Author's Note: Mizuchi's English name is Serena. Ojin's name, surprisingly, didn't change between versions – just thought I'd point out that his name means "royal person" and is supposed to be a pun. Oh, and the laser satellite? Though the dub claims that it's a mind control satellite (why, I don't know), it's actually a weapon of mass destruction that can destroy just about anything easily._


	7. 7

**Lost Heaven  
**by BridgitKiido

Disclaimer: I don't own GX.

Spoiler warning: This story will contain references to flashbacks first mentioned in the fourth season. However, the majority of it takes place during the first and second seasons. There will be heavier spoilers for those (though, obviously, things will be quite different in parts).

. 7 .

_He gives you a wave of his long brown tail  
__Which says: I'll see you again!  
__You'll meet without fail on the Midnight Mail  
__The Cat of the Railway Train.'_  
-Andrew Lloyd Webber and T. S. Eliot, "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat"

It had all sounded so easy in his head.

After his fight with D.D. (which had been unexpected in itself, in more ways than one, to say the least), Edo had planned the entire thing out. He would take the helicopter that Samejima had sent (though the man wasn't on it) back to Duel Academy and find Saiou. From there, he would duel him and free him from the Light of Destruction. Mizuchi had said he was one of the only ones who could, and now that he knew exactly what had happened, he felt as though he _was_ the only one who could.

Unfortunate that he had underestimated the Light's dueling abilities, no?

Then again, he hadn't really ever seen Saiou's deck before. How was he to know that he had such dangerous monsters in store? The Light Ruler's power was like nothing he had ever faced before – and he had faced Bloo-D.

(This, and a small part of him was scared to duel Saiou and win, scared for his friend's safety, for his life almost.)

As Edo's body turned to dust before him, Saiou – no, the Light of Destruction in Saiou's body, because Saiou's soul had taken Edo's side – smirked. Perhaps this boy could be of use to him, once his body was recreated. The soul that it housed was useless, of course, but the body would be an excellent servant.

It was easy enough for the Light to create Edo's body again from the ash. It was a near-omnipotent force, especially with all of its supporters to draw energy from. It made a few changes, of course, to suit its liking – the hair would have to be pure white now, with even paler skin, and of course, the irises in the eyes were pointless novelties. But when he was done, there stood an emotionless, fully obedient clone of the boy who had dared to try to destroy the Light.

And the Light smiled with a malevolent grin. White Thunder's charisma was useful for spreading the Light's message and power, but this White Phoenix would make an excellent bodyguard.

* * *

Part of Judai's being was yelling at him inside, telling him that he had to do something, that he had to duel Manjoume or Sho or Misawa or _someone_ and free them from that strange force that had taken over the island. He was the chosen protector of kind darkness, or at least that was what the Neo-Spacians had said – he should be doing something to live up to that!

But the louder part was fearful. What if something happened again? What if he killed them, like he'd killed Asuka's brother? Sho had clearly stated that he didn't want to die – if he was worried enough to say that, there was a chance it could happen. It was hard enough living with the stain of killing one person accidentally – he couldn't deal with dueling someone, knowing that they would probably die if they lost to him.

Which was why he was in Chronos' office that morning.

"You want to what?" Chronos asked him, shocked as the Osiris Red student held out the pendant he had been wearing around his neck. Half of it had been given to him by the Gravekeeper clan, the other half by Fubuki.

"I want to give you this," Judai repeated. "It holds some sort of power connected to dark energy – if I'm right, it should at least protect you from the Light thing that's going around."

"But Judai – "

"Principal Chronos," Judai interrupted, "I can't do anything to fix what's happening, but I'm not going to stand back and let them get you if I can help it. But I can't ask you to come with me and hide – even if you agreed, they would notice."

Chronos hesitated for a moment before finally giving in and accepting the pendant. "All right then, Judai – I will wear this, na no ne. But tell me, where will you go, na no ne?" After all, he was the principal, and therefore had a duty to make sure that all of his students – sane or not – were accounted for.

Judai attempted to smile. "Don't worry about me – Kenzan and I found a cave underground the other day. We're going to go down there for a little while with Junko, Momoe, and Kabayama-sensei. Hopefully we'll be able to come up with a plan of action there."

"There are that few who haven't succumbed, na no ne…" Chronos muttered. Of course, Emi Ayukawa wouldn't be on the list – she ran the infirmary, which she had declared a completely neutral zone. She wouldn't have turned white, but she wouldn't hide either.

Napoleon… well, Napoleon was a lost cause, now. Chronos was actually lucky at the moment – the vice principal was out at a new convert brunch, socializing with the rest of the members of the Hikari no Kessha. That was the only reason he and Judai were able to have this conversation.

"Well, I suppose I can't stop you, na no ne," Chronos replied. "Stay safe, Judai, na no ne."

"I will," Judai promised, and with that, he left the room, to return to the rest of his resistance group. He couldn't stay away from them for too long – though he knew Kenzan wouldn't turn white, thanks to his Dino DNA, he couldn't guarantee the same about the others.

Chronos, meanwhile, placed the round pendant hesitantly around his neck. Then, almost as an afterthought, he hid it beneath his robes. It probably would not be a good idea to alert the Kessha to the fact that he had it, after all.

While Napoleon was out, meanwhile, he would quickly send a small e-mail to an old colleague of his. It had been a while since they'd spoken, yes, but someone in the outside world had to know about what was going on.

* * *

Ryou's training had gone quite well. Though Samejima had been reluctant at first, the Kaiser had won their duel, and so as per their deal, the former principal had agreed to teach him the secrets of the Tails side of the Cyber Style. And though the Tails side was technically the dark side, which was what had taken the others, Ryou had agreed to train with the cards, focusing immediately on keeping a balance between Heads and Tails, light and darkness. And respect. Always respect.

At this point, he was (on Samejima's suggestion) taking a short break from his training to stay in town for a little while. He had rented an apartment – it was rather comfortable, for such a small room.

He was just about to look through the phone book to choose a restaurant from which to order some takeout for dinner – he didn't really feel like going to the store for groceries even if he was positive he wasn't going to burn it – when his cell phone rang. And when the caller ID stated that it was his brother on the phone, Ryou picked up.

"Hello."

"Hi, Brother."

"Hi, Sho. How are you?"

"I'm more than fine," Sho replied, and though his tone seemed normal enough, something in the back of Ryou's mind started feeling a little uneasy. "I've just been hanging out with some new friends lately. You should really meet them sometime."

"Maybe I will."

"It's been a while since I've seen you." Again, there was that uneasiness. "How has your training been going?"

"Fine. I'm actually taking a break from it right now for a little while. It's somewhat difficult, but I think I'm getting the hang of balancing it pretty well."

"Do you think you might be visiting Duel Academy any time soon? I'd love to see you."

Ryou thought this over for a moment. He wasn't sure what, but something was definitely different about Sho. And it was as though something was trying to penetrate his own mind, too, though he couldn't tell what. It was being blocked by something, but he could tell it was there.

At that moment, a new e-mail message appeared on Ryou's computer – he had been catching up on some of the latest up and comers in the Pro Circuits, for when he decided to return. It was from Samejima, forwarded from Chronos.

As he skimmed the contents, his eyes widened for a moment, but then he replied to his expecting younger brother, "Maybe. In fact, I think I might come at the beginning of your next semester, to say hi."

If what the message said was true, then it wasn't just a feeling.

* * *

"I really don't think it's a good idea this year, na no ne," Chronos muttered hurriedly into the phone. "I know it's been scheduled for a long time, and I know the students will be disappointed, but Duel Academy is… undergoing a rather difficult transition period, and so I don't think we're quite ready to host any exchange students, na no ne."

Cobra, on the other end, was not going to let up. "For the sake of the relations of our schools, Principal Chronos, I really don't think you should simply cancel the program on such a whim." Though the tone of his voice implied that there were far more reasons than just 'for the sake of relations'.

"But I really don't think…" Chronos began.

"Principal Chronos, de aru," Napoleon suddenly burst into the room, sweeping his white robe behind him. "There you are – I've been looking everywhere for you, de aru."

"V-Vice Principal Napoleon," was Chronos' nervous reply as he attempted to smile. "I've just been discussing some things with Professor Cobra from West Academy, na no ne." Turning back to the phone, he replied, "Of course we're still able to host the exchange program this year, na no ne." After all, if Napoleon found out that he had been trying to cancel it in order to prevent the Hikari no Kessha's influence from spreading further… well, amulet or not, there was still only one Chronos, and hundreds of white students who would easily have his head if Saiou commanded it.

Though mildly unnerved for a moment by Chronos' change of heart, Cobra was quite pleased. "Excellent. Now, about the exhibition duel I was suggesting…"

"Oh, no, no, no, we can't have that, na no ne," Chronos interrupted. "The exchange students will have never experienced Japanese culture before – it would be so much more of an educational experience if there is a different sort of welcoming event. Like, say…" he wracked through his brain until an idea struck him. "A concert, na no ne!"

"A concert?" Cobra tilted his head in a mildly annoyed manner.

"Yes," Chronos replied. "And I know just the person who will perform, na no ne. A former student of this school, even, na no ne."

"Well, fine then," Cobra sighed. "You're hosting it, after all – I can't complain. I'll see you at the start of the next semester then." And with that, the other end of the phone clicked off.

Chronos sighed with relief as Napoleon, apparently having found what he needed without Chronos' help, left the room. He then searched through his notes. He kept track of all of his former students' exploits, after all, and it just so happened that his nephew's step-sister's cousin's aunt's brother-in-law's niece had a friend whose uncle was one particular former student's manager.

He just hoped that he would be able to be true to his word and get the young idol named Asuryn to perform on the island, especially given everything that had happened.

* * *

It would be the start of a new school year, now. Not that Asuka was particularly worried about that – she had asked the principal of her current school, and he had agreed to give her the first week off. It was a good deal for him, really – he kept the secret of her career path and let her stay out of school x number of days more than normally permitted, and he got free tickets for him and his family of four to her concerts. Though she would have given him the tickets even if he hadn't agreed to that – he was a nice man, and she respected him a lot.

She had almost been unable to perform this concert, actually. Just the sheer fact that it was on Duel Academy Island turned her father against the idea completely – apparently, even a year and a half after the fact he was still paranoid about the place. But after promising that she wouldn't so much as touch a Duel Monsters card while she was there and that she would be careful, he reluctantly agreed.

(Though she had sort of guilt-tripped him. After all, he had destroyed one dream of hers – why was he destroying a second one?)

She had brought fourteen red roses with her on the boat, which she planned to leave in front of the Abandoned Dormitory in her brother's memory – two for each day she planned to be there. The rest of the boat carried various cargo – pieces of the stage that would be set up in the week before the performance, microphones and other electronics, her clothing and make up (though it was a necessary evil, Asuka still didn't really like the make up all that much), and some trailers for the workers. She'd gotten permission to sleep in her old room in the Obelisk Dormitory (even if Chronos had seemed a little reluctant on the phone), so that was taken care of.

Her hand reached into the pocket of her jacket and stroked the small, rectangular fold-up mirror that resided there. It was a bit of a nervous habit, just to make sure it was still there and hadn't fallen out.

And as the boat rode the waves, Asuka stood at the prow and smiled as she saw Duel Academy for the first time in far too long.

* * *

_Author's Notes: D.D.'s dub name is The D, while Bloo-D's name got changed to Plasma. Don't ask me why – probably something like 'oh, we can't mention blood on a children's show, the kids will scream in terror!' Professor Cobra, meanwhile, is dubbed into Professor Viper._

_This is approximately where the Asuka that I play at Econtra is pulled from, if anyone is interested in knowing that._

_And to the person asking for fluff… well, I'm not sure what your definition is, and I'm not promising anything that will definitely fit your definition, but the next chapter sees some Asuka and Manjoume interactions, if that's what you're looking for. Perhaps not fluff, persay, but this is marked tragedy for a reason._


End file.
